Ralph Klein

Ralph Klein, also known as Rafael "Ralph" Ram (; July 29, 1931 – August 7, 2008) was an Israeli professional basketball player and coach. In Israel, he was known as "Mr. Basketball".

Early life Klein was born in Berlin, during the time of the Weimar Republic, to an affluent Hungarian Jewish family, that returned to Budapest, before the outbreak of World War II. His father was murdered in Auschwitz, but he and his family survived thanks to efforts by Raoul Wallenberg.

Basketball playing career Club career After the war, at the age of 16, Klein began playing football, but later moved to basketball, and played in the Hungarian national league. In 1951, he immigrated to Israel, with his mother.

After serving in the Israeli navy, he joined Maccabi Tel Aviv, with which he played in more than 160 games, through 1964. With Maccabi Tel Aviv, he scored 2,701 total points, and won eight Israeli Super League national championships and six Israeli State Cups. However, his health improved and he even went back to coaching.

He died of cancer on August 7, 2008, at Sheba Medical Center, in Tel HaShomer.

Awards In 1978, he was awarded the Herzl Prize for sports. In 2006, Klein was awarded the Israel Prize for sport, along with former football goalkeeper Ya'akov Hodorov. Israeli basketball team, Elitzur Elkana, whom Klein coached towards the end of his life, is named after the veteran Israeli coach (Elizur "Ralph Klein" Elkanah). The basketball team also wrote a Sefer Torah, in the name and honor of Klein. The veterans group of Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball team commemorates the achievements and memory of Ralph Klein, and since his death, it is named "Maccabi Ralph Klein Tel Aviv".